THE RANDOM MUSINGS OF A SOCAL GAL WHO HAPPENS TO BE AN OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE NATIVE PLANT GARDENER, OCCASIONAL BOTANIZER (WITH A SPECIAL AFFECTION FOR ALL THINGS CAMISSONIA), BIRDER, WANNABE PHOTOGRAPHER, AND FOODIE.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Hey! My first blog posting & the end of global warming...

6/8/09 Gil and Hana in "Sweetie Mode"

Hey, wow - this is pretty cool. My first ever blog posting...

Well, the first thing that pops into my head as I stare out the window is that the ugly spectre of global warming has suddenly (or maybe not so suddenly) gone incognito. From May grays to June gloom, it's been one, unending, unrelenting series of drab, coldish, London Fog days here in generally sunny Murrieta. Not complaining, but I think it's time for me and Hana to write a SERIOUS letter to our esteemed Nobel Laureate-Former VP-Wanna be P-Incovenient Truth touting, Le Grande Dame Monsieur Gore, demanding an explanation. And, of course Hana may actually want to thank him for the error of his ways because her dense, bunny soft winter fur coat, which had been shed and rolling around like tumbleweed in the house just a couple months ago, has now grown back with a vengeance!

On the gardening front, my natives are thriving floriferously in this unseasonably cool weather. The Baby Blue Eyes, CA poppies and Meadowfoam are past their prime, but the Clarkias, Western columbine, Seep Monkeyflowers (Mimulus guttatus) and Bush Monkeyflowers (Diplacus aurantiacus) are in full throttle. Here are some pix from my garden:

2 comments:

This is Vivian Cheng from TAS. I wonder if you still remember me? I just wanted to say hello and that I love your pictures! My husband recently joined face book and asked me if there was someone I would be interested in finding and your name came up!

Great Destinations

What's Growing in the Cottage/Herb Garden

5/16/10 Queen Anne's Lace (Daucus carota). Up to 5 ft. tall with delicate umbels of pure white flowers from spring through summer. A real butterfly magnet, I grow this biennial in the cottage garden along with Bachelor Buttons and Sweet Peas. This European wild carrot is edible (when you've got nothing better to eat) and used as an herbal remedy in Europe and Asia.

What's Growing in the Orchard

1/1/12 Moro Blood Orange (Citrus sinensis). The fruits of our Moro Blood Orange tree typically start to ripen in December. It's a gorgeous fruit, whose orange peel is often blushed with burgundy, and when fully ripe, the interior will turn a stunning dark red. Few seeds, very sweet & juicy.

10/10/10 Pineapple Guava (Feijoa sellowiana). We planted this tree in 2006, and it's finally fruiting! This South American guava is widely available in most nurseries here in SoCal and makes for a superb, smaller ornamental tree. Seems frost tolerant for a subtropical and has beautiful pink blooms in late spring. Wiki says the ripe fruits will drop...so, just waiting for the fruit to drop.

10/10/10 Arbequina Olives. Used as both a table olive & for olive oil, this variety hails from Catalonia. As of May 2012, we have 24 olive trees in varying degrees of maturity including Mission, Leccino, Manzanillo, Ascolano, Pendolino, Frantoio, Arbequina, Kalamata, Salonenque, Picholine, Aglandau, and Chemiali.

10 Longan (Dimocarpus longan). Longan or "Dragon's Eye" is another subtropical that's native to South/SE Asia (including Taiwan). As a kid, I always preferred Lychees to Longan (Lychees seemed juicier), but they're quite similar in form & taste (sweet & delish). I'll bet they taste great in a martini. We bought this tree as a 15 gallon from San Gabriel Nursery in 2006 and it's managed to survive our occasionally frosty winters here in La Cresta.